This invention generally relates to reclosable bags having slider-actuated plastic zippers. In particular, the invention relates to reclosable bags having slider-actuated string zippers.
In the use of plastic bags, pouches and other packages, particularly for containing foodstuffs, it is important that the bag be hermetically sealed and tamper evident until the purchaser acquires the bag and its contents, takes them home, and opens the bag or package for the first time. It is then commercially attractive and useful for the consumer that the bag or package be reclosable so that its contents may be protected. Such bags provide the consumer with the ability to readily store, in a closed, if not sealed, package any unused portion of the packaged product even after the package is initially opened. Flexible plastic zippers have proven to be excellent for reclosable bags, because they may be manufactured with high-speed equipment and are reliable for repeated reuse.
Many reclosable bags comprise a receptacle having a mouth with a slider-actuated zipper installed therein for opening and closing the bag. As the slider is moved in an opening direction, the slider causes the zipper sections it passes over to open. Conversely, as the slider is moved in a closing direction, the slider causes the zipper sections it passes over to close. Typically, a zipper for a reclosable bag includes a pair of interlockable profiled closure strips that are joined at opposite ends of the bag mouth. The profiles of interlockable plastic zipper strips can take on various configurations, e.g. interlocking rib and groove elements having so-called male and female profiles, interlocking alternating hook-shaped closure elements, interlocking ball-shaped closure elements, etc. Reclosable bags having slider-operated zippers are generally more desirable to consumers than bags having zippers without sliders because the slider eliminates the need for the consumer to align the interlockable zipper profiles before causing those profiles to engage.
Various additions to reclosable bags have been made to provide tamper-evident seals or indicators that will reveal when the bag has been opened or otherwise tampered with prior to purchase by the consumer. It is known to provide a reclosable package construction that is designed to undergo some permanent change in the package appearance when the package is opened for the first time. For example, it is known to provide a reclosable package with a tamper-evident, non-reclosable peel seal that gives a positive indication of having been broken when a package is first opened. It is also known to shroud the zipper (with or without slider) inside an enclosed header cap or hood on the top of the bag. Another type of tamper-evident feature is the provision of a membrane on the product side of the zipper that partitions the interior volume in an airtight manner.
There is a continuing need for new designs for slider-actuated string-zippered bags with tamper-evident features that can be manufactured at low cost.